A Merry Misunderstanding
by lovepotionsbrewer
Summary: Edward is wishing for a little peace in the office, but there are two problems. First, models in lingerie have invaded his safe zone. Second, his sister is convinced he needs to hire an assistant. Then he makes one tiny mistake. Maybe if he pretends to be something he's most definitely not he can still get his job done. EPOV - AH - Awkward- A Christmas gift for Sunflower Fran.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 – Two Simple Tasks

**_A/N – Happy Holidays! This is a goofy short fic, which will post every day from now to New Year's. It is unbeta'ed as I wrote it as a tribute to the fabulous Sunflower Fran. She is amazing, and I can never really give her the proper thanks for her support and keen eyes on Volturi B&B and my other stories. Hope you enjoy – all characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. Mistakes and goofiness are all mine. _**

EPOV - My world was normally divided into clear zones of safety and absolute terror. So, while I never let my guard down completely, I wasn't too worried about not having a scout outside my office. I was on my way to the copy room, despite the fact that making copies was way below my pay grade. Unfortunately, my last assistant Seth had given his notice right before Thanksgiving and it was turning out to be near impossible to find a replacement who could deal with the uniquely menacing threats of our work environment.

But, as I was saying, my office area was usually a relatively safe zone. It was only when I ventured off my floor to supervise the enemy-populated areas that I had to be constantly vigilant of an attack.

I had forgotten that this week all the rules had changed, and nearly walked into an inescapable ambush.

I was walking down the hall, looking down at some spreadsheets when I heard the first ominous click, followed in quick succession by another. I knew I was surrounded and outnumbered before I even looked up, so my objective was to find an escape. It would be impossible to avoid being seen by the herd, I could only hope to use the advantage of speed and agility. In order to accomplish this, I had to swallow my fear and look straight into the danger. It would do me no good to try and avoid eye contact, the way all the so-called experts' advice. I could only hope a brisk walk down the office hallway would save me from being eaten alive today.

Swallowing so hard I could feel my silk tie moving along with my Adam's apple, I stared into the face of danger. There were four of them, all blond and all over six-feet-tall in their ludicrously high-heels. That was my advantage, wingtips could usually outrun pumps or whatever they were calling women's shoes these days. I noticed the tiny flare of a surgically-modified nostril as ice blue eyes locked on mine. It was like being caught in a sniper's scope.

For a moment I allowed myself to be intimidated by the stares and lowered my gaze, but that only made it worse. I could feel the papers in my hand getting soggy from my sweaty hands as I caught sight of silk and lace encased breasts, bare midriffs of perfectly toned muscles, and (dear-God!) bejeweled g-strings.

They were just on the other side of my office door. Perhaps if I made a mad dash, they would be too busy posing to stop me before I could get inside and lock myself in safety. But, no, that hope was dashed as they moved in synchronization down the hall. The swaths of exposed skin shimmered in the office's florescent lights, making them look more alien than usual. Their cleavage jutted out in front of them. Due to the excellent design of the bras they were displaying, the eight breasts bounced only slightly in steady rhythm as they marched toward me.

"Eddie!" one of them cried, making me wince. She raised a red-taloned hand and wiggled her fingers at me in a beckoning gesture.

Abandoning all pretense of having any other goal than to get away from this horror, I grabbed the nearest office door handle and flung myself inside, gripping my spreadsheets to my pounding chest and bracing the door with all my body weight.

I had flung myself into an equally dangerous area in my haste to escape. The gorgeous blond sitting behind the desk was only slightly less frightening than the pack out in the hall, even fully clothed. She looked up from a laptop she had been furiously typing on to meet my eyes with a mixture of disgust and frustration. Her blood red lips pursed together in a scowl before she spoke.

"Another model attack, Edward?" Rosalie's voiced dripped in disdain. She knew of both my fear and my enemies' quest to devour me, but had no sympathy.

Though I wished she would allow me my weakness, in fairness, I could understand her point of view. Rosalie was, by most standards, more beautiful than any of the models we hired and had spent nearly her entire life warding off attacks from the opposite sex. It was only within recent years that females had become aggressors and harassers to rival men.

That was part of the problem. She had years of experience defending herself, I had not had to develop the skills or strength that she had earned.

I thought of this and a half-dozen other ways to defend my cowardice, but each died on my lips under her gaze. Finally, I just lowered my eyes to the floor and whined like a bullied child "Why do they have to be here?"

Rosalie snorted and I heard the click of her keyboard keys as she replied, "Because your sister is a marketing genius and Esme Esoteric is going to have the most-talked about Valentine's Day catalog next year. You won't be whining when you get the next earnings report, little brother. "

I could not argue with any of these facts. Five years ago, my sister and I had decided to make a go of turning our mother's secret hobby of designing lingerie into a real business. Between Rosalie's marketing and my financial acumen, we had transformed an at-home start-up into a fledgling empire that rivaled long-established brands.

What normally made it work for me was that I didn't have to be involved with any women aside from my mother and sister. They both understood that the sight of our product made my throat close up and my blood pressure skyrocket. I could barely function around females when they were fully clothed. My sister's 'genius' idea for our next catalog – to shoot in the office to convey the message that professional women could be sexy under their pants suits and that lingerie gives you confidence to succeed– was going to make for a very difficult week.

"I should have used my vacation time," I mumbled to myself as I paced back and forth in front of her desk.

"You never use your vacation time," Rosalie responded. "And you couldn't now anyway. We've got production deadlines to meet, which means I need you to manage our supply chain, not to mention end of year reports, which you insist only you can do."

"Mmmm…" I hummed to myself, closing my eyes and rubbing my temples, as I tried to recall the latest balance sheet I had prepared. The image of the profit column slowed my pounding heart to a near-normal rate. In the background I could hear Rosalie going on about my needing an assistant, and a temp agency. I ignored this, knowing there was no way we could get a qualified temp this time of year. This suited me just as well, as doing everything myself would probably take less time than trying to train someone who we wouldn't be keeping on anyway.

"…And we need one more model," Rosalie continued, while clicking her mouse. I assumed she was cleaning out her e-mail, which was her favorite way to multi-task when we talked.

"What?" My eyes snapped open, my knees locked together, and my pulse quickened once again. "How can we need more? They're already crawling all over the place!" I objected.

"We've got blonds all over the place," Rosalie scowled at her screen. "We need a brunette to balance them out."

"I saw a brunette earlier," I protested, though I knew there was no way I was winning this battle. We had decided long ago that I did not have any input into the product design or the marketing, which was normally fine with me. I had never stepped foot on a catalog shoot before, and would have much preferred to kept my distance. The fact that models were in my safe area, and my sister had thought it would be funny to introduce me to them, made for an impossible situation.

"You saw a Hispanic brunette," she countered. I frowned, trying to figure out how this made any difference. "We also have a raven-haired Asian-American, an African-American, and a Middle-Eastern, but we need a pale brunette."

"Don't tell me white girls with brown hair have their own affirmative action groups now?" I groaned.

"Shut it, or I'm going to put you in charge of sensitivity training next year," Rosalie snapped, meeting my eyes for a second before returning to her screen. "This is actually the photographer's request. He said the blue teddies would look best on someone with dark hair and pale skin."

"Racist," I mumbled.

"Whatever," Rosalie said, waving her hand once again. "You want to fight with him on that, go ahead and talk to him out in front of all the models we currently have."

I groaned again. Statistically speaking, having one more model around was less dangerous than trying to talk sense into a catalog photographer who considered himself the _Annie_ _Leibovitz of lingerie._

Rosalie closed her laptop and looked up at me, holding my gaze. This was clearly getting serious.

"I need you to make the decision and get the paperwork taken care of with the agency," she told me. I waited for her to tell me she was joking, but her expression remained serious.

"Rose," I whined, sounding like the child version of myself that had fought with her over whose turn it was to do the dinner dishes. "How am I supposed to chose a model and deal with their paperwork? I practically need emergency care when I'm in the same hallway with one of them."

She narrowed her eyes at me. "Seriously, Edward, you need to grow up," she said. "You're a CFO for what will soon be a multi-million dollar corporation that makes its millions selling women's intimate apparel. I'm not asking you to get up close and personal with any of these women, I'm asking you to be professional with them."

"How am I supposed to do that?" I asked, absolutely at a loss.

"Fake it 'till you make it, Edward." She replied. "If you can't get over your fear, act like you're not afraid. You've watched Madmen, channel your inner Don Draper." As if this was the last advice she needed to give me, Rosalie opened her laptop again and began typing away.

I considered this, then shook my head. "That doesn't sound professional," I said. "That sounds like a way to get sued for creating a hostile work environment."

"It's about balance," Rosalie said, still typing. "You can't keep running away like a little boy. You're neglecting your work and you're bothering me. All of us in management have to pick up the slack now and then. I've given you two tasks: find one new model and get yourself an assistant so I don't have to listen to Mom sob over you working too hard." She looked away from her screen just long enough to roll her eyes. "You've got three interviews today," Rosalie finished.

"What!" I exclaimed. "How can I have interviews? I haven't set any up."

"I set them up," Rose said. She clicked to a different screen as she continued. "I'll send you the resumes for the assistant and links to the virtual portfolios for the models now. Any one of these women would be fine, I'm just asking you to make two simple decisions and then live with them until we get this catalog out. If at that point, you feel like the assistant isn't working out, we don't need to keep them on, but I'd really appreciate it if you would try to have an open mind. You may find you like having someone to do your grunt work and allow you to focus on the big stuff."

I scowled, thinking that would never work. Having someone else try to do some of my work just gave me more to worry about, not less. There was no way I could trust anyone but myself not to mess things up.

Just as I opened my mouth to argue, Rosalie's phone buzzed. "Yes," she said, hitting the intercom button.

"Bella Swan is here for Mr. Cullen," came our receptionist's Angela's voice. My tie suddenly felt like a tightening noose. I was certain there was less air in the room than there had been a second ago. How on earth was I going to face a model on my own?

I focused on my own breathing as Rosalie directed Angela to have Ms. Swan wait in my office. She then started talking to me, but the words were drowned out by the screaming panic of my subconscious. I wasn't sure if she was talking about the models' past experience or continuing her lecture about my needing to mature. If I was lucky, I'd end up having an aneurism and avoid this unpleasant business by being wheeled out of the office by some EMT's.

I decided the best I could do was pretend to be listening and nod my head. Somehow I don't think Rose was buying it. She rolled her eyes again as she forced some the necessary HR papers in to my hand and pushed me out of the office.

Thank goodness the hall was clear this time. I was able to take a few, deep steadying breaths with my hand on my own office doorknob.

I could do this. I would channel my inner Don Draper. I would act like a chauvinist asshole so the model could not sense my fear. I had a brief stint Drama-club in college, this was just a part I needed to play for a few short weeks until the catalog was done. Yes, I could do this.

I turned the knob and stepped into the room, looking down at the papers to remind myself of the model's name. Bella Swan – ugh, what a fake name. Beautiful swan-someone's agent was trying way too hard.

Not interested in anything else her profile might say, and not bothering to look for her head shot, I entered my office. As I stepped inside, I forced my eyes to rise from my shoes to the brunette who was standing in my office.

Obviously she had been briefed about our concept of an office setting. She was dressed in a demure navy suit with sensible pumps. As my eyes traveled up her body, I could tell she would be the perfect model. She had the classic hourglass figure. I made a thorough investigation, just to be professional, taking in the curves of her legs, hips, waist, and chest several times, while she stood silent.

Satisfied with what I saw, I just needed to hire her and get her down to wardrobe, hopefully having as little interaction with her as possible.

Time to channel my Madmen persona. I squared my shoulders and tried to pull off an arrogant smirk. "You'll do," I said. "What size bra do you wear?"

**_A/N – Poor Edward is a little distracted. You probably realize what he's got wrong, but let's allow him to use his drama-club skills and dig himself into a nice little hole, shall we? See you tomorrow!_**


	2. Chapter 2 - The Interview

Chapter Two – The Interview

**_A/N – Ready to see Awkward try to act like a character on Madmen? Let's see if he can determine Bella Swan's qualifications, shall we? _**

"You'll do," I said. "What size bra do you wear?"

A crimson blush began to spread across her face. Odd, I had never met a model who blushed before. Wasn't that what our make-up artists were for?

I had never cared for the red and pink powders plastered over jutting cheekbones. But, there was something about the soft, pale skin of Isabella Swan that made the red heat seem so innocent and alluring, that I finally got it. There was something beautiful about a blush – at least there was for a natural blush. This gorgeous woman could apparently do so on command.

I gave myself an inner high-five for finding a perfect model who could save us the expense of at least some cosmetics. Edward Cullen was a marketing and hr-genius.

"Ex-ex-excuse me?" she stammered, looking like I had just asked her to perform brain surgery.

"The agency explained that we're under a tight deadline, didn't they?" I demanded, doing my best to sound confident and slightly annoyed. Unfortunately, I had made the mistake of meeting her eyes when she spoke. They were a beautiful soft brown, unlike any I had any seen before, and there was a beguiling innocence in their warm chocolate depths.

I could imagine staring at that face for hours. She was exactly what we needed. Men all over the world would be looking at our catalog over and over again just to imagine what it would be like to have Isabella Swan curled up in their bed wearing our teddy. Picturing her in the silk chiffon had me reconsidering the retail price. With her soft curves underneath the midnight blue fabric, perhaps we could ask for over two-hundred.

Not that anyone would ever look as beautiful as she did, but that was the lie our business was built on.

Isabella Swan stood still and silent while I looked over her body, finally coming back to her wide brown eyes, which held a hint of fear, but were also resolved and slightly sad. They drew me in, wanting to make her happy.

"They said you needed someone who was available right away and who could work through the holidays," she answered. "I can do that."

"Good," I snapped. "Then let's not waste any more time."

"Don't you want to talk about my experience?" she asked.

"Look, Isabella," I started. I tried to come up with some excuse not to spend any more time with her in my office. I just wanted to get her signed so that we could start photographing her. Of course, she wasn't as bony as most of the models we had roaming around, so we might need to get some different sizes over from the warehouse. At this thought, I realized she hadn't answered my question. A chauvinist would definitely be a jerk about that.

"I prefer Bella," she spoke quietly, as if not sure she wanted to share this fact.

"Fine, Bella," I said. "I've already got everything I need to know." I made a point of looking her up and down, which caused her to squirm a little. I chose to overlook this, as it would be the photographer's problem to get her to stay still for the camera. Perhaps her agent hadn't told her much about the assignment, and this would be her first lingerie shoot.

I continued in my best arrogant voice, "Go down to wardrobe and they can get you properly dressed, and then we can start work. I'm a very busy man, so if you're not sure you want this job, just leave and I can get someone else." I sent a silent prayer to the gods of profit that she would not take me at my word on this. I was convinced we needed Isabella Swan to make the next catalog work. Plus, I didn't want Rose to think I was incapable of hiring a model once I found one I liked.

Bella stood rooted to the spot, biting her lip.

"Is there a problem?" I asked.

She shook her head, which made the soft waves of her chestnut hair fall over her shoulders. I tried to remember if I had ever seen her in a magazine or catalog before. Surely she must have been photographed many times before. She was too beautiful to be undiscovered. But, I couldn't think of a single place I had seen her picture.

"There's no problem," she said, her voice shaking a bit. "I was just wondering what you meant by 'they can get you properly dressed'?"

My brow furrowed in confusion. What was wrong in the way I had phrased it? Was she asking about who would be helping her? I felt out of my element. I didn't know anything about how to prep a model. I decided to get reinforcements.

I didn't answer Bella directly, but picked up my phone and dialed Alice, who was handling the more detailed elements of the catalog shoot, making sure the models handled the merchandise properly and the photographer had everything he needed.

"Alice," I snapped, trying to sound like a no-nonsense executive without a moment to spare.

"Who is this?" she answered, obviously not recognizing my voice in this tone.

"Edward," I answered, and continued over her laughter. "I'm sending a Bella Swan down to you. Fit her with a blue silk-chiffon teddy so we can get her started first thing tomorrow."

I hung up on her before she could start teasing me for the way I sounded. As soon as the phone was back in the cradle, I gave myself an internal high-five for the fact that I had finally managed to name one of our products without stammering. I knew that drama club wouldn't end up being a waste of time. I was pulling this off, and once Bella was out of my office I would only have to keep up this charade for the brief moments we passed each other while she was being photographed here. I could do that. It would only be a couple of weeks.

I turned back to Bella. "You can pick up your teddy on the second floor. Alice will make sure you're properly fit."

"My, my, what?" Bella was blushing and stammering. It was making me very uncomfortable. I didn't know how to deal with a model who was inexplicably having a crisis of confidence. Perhaps this is why she didn't look familiar – I'd heard of these women freezing in front of the camera. I could only hope that Alice would calm her down and our photographer could get something out of her.

"I'm afraid I don't have any more time for this today," I said, opening the door to escort her out. Unfortunately, at that moment, two of the blonds I had been avoiding were posing around the water cooler. Bella and I were greeted by a nearly bare bottom, showing off a blood red thong as she bent down to fill a crystal goblet of water. The other model held a legal pad awkwardly in one hand, away from her body so as not to cover any part of the lace baby doll she was wearing. She was obviously struggling not to keep her balance as she leaned on the water cooker with her opposite arm and had one leg bent so her high-heeled foot was against the wall.

They were thankfully professional enough to not break out of character at the sight of me, but I knew I'd have to move quickly to get out of range before the photographer was done.

I turned to Bella whose eyes were looked on the models and mouth was hanging open. I wondered if she was intimidated, though she obviously had no reason to be. Her gaze drifted down the hall to a cubicle where another model in a matching bra and panty set was spinning round and round in an office chair, obviously bored between takes.

Taking pity on her, I decided to drop the asshole corporate guy persona. "Welcome to the team, Bella," I said, looking at her in the eye. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll do great. You're just what we were looking for."

"I'm not so sure about that, Mr. Cullen," she stammered, not meeting my gaze, but still looking at the half-dressed models. I followed her gaze. It was actually kind of a funny sight when they weren't stalking me. With the cameras and lights just out of sight on the other side of the wall, it almost looked like they were real office professionals in completely inappropriate attire.

"Don't worry about them. If you'd like, I'll arrange it so you don't have to do anything in a group."

"Group?" Bella repeated the word sounding as frightened and confused as if I was suggesting an orgy.

I realized I had probably used in incorrect term. I had just meant that I would talk to Alice about making sure Bella could be photographed on her own. She looked more terrified rather than less. Unfortunately, I didn't have the time to soothe her, because it looked like the models were about ready to take a break. I could tell because they looked slightly hungrier when they weren't on camera.

"Don't worry about it," I said quickly, pulling Bella by the elbow and forcing her to walk with me the long way to the elevators, in the opposite direction of the photo shoot. "Just tell Alice I said you were supposed to get the blue teddy, and be in it and ready to get started first thing tomorrow morning."

Bella was stammering something about a mistake, but I shook my head and cut her off.

"I know this probably isn't what you're used to, but trust me, it's much more professional than it looks. We just need everyone on the team committed to this product."

We were at the elevators now and Bella was biting her lip, looking about ready to pass out. She must be much greener than I had first assumed. I wonder how many models end up having to wear g-strings and garters on their first job. Damnit, now I was picturing Bella in our most scanty products and the image was making all the blood in my body head between my legs.

Desperate to change my own thoughts, and seeking a way to calm Bella's nerves, I pushed the down button, and racked my brain for something else for both of us to think about. I decided to mention money. That always calmed me down.

"Listen Bella, if you can just wear what we need you to and do whatever is asked of you, which trust me won't be too strenuous, I'll personally make sure you get a five thousand dollar bonus when the catalog goes to the printers."

"F-, fi-, five, five thousand?" Bella stammered, clearly shocked by the mention of this sum. Considering we were paying some of these girls three grand a day, I didn't think it was that big of an incentive, but clearly it meant a lot to her.

Putting on my best arrogant smirk, I nodded at her. "Not bad for looking pretty behind a desk and pushing some papers around, right?" I said, not really meaning it as a question.

Bella opened her mouth, for once looking like she was really going to say something. I shrunk back a bit from her, but just at that moment the doors in front of us opened. I put my hand on the small of her back to guide her, as I imagined a chauvinist from another decade would do. Bella moved quickly into the elevator, avoiding my touch and spinning quickly to face me.

Her face was red far beyond anything you could call a blush. I wasn't the best at reading expressions, but it looked like she was furious. I cocked my head to consider her, trying to figure out why she could possibly be angry. Our gazes met and the fire behind her chocolate eyes faltered as she took in my confusion. Before anything else could happen, the doors closed and Bella was on her way to wardrobe.

I let out a gush of air and fell back against the wall in a heap of relief. I had done it! I had found a model that I knew Rose would be happy with, which meant I could cancel the rest of the appointments. Now I just had to convince my sister that I didn't need an assistant. Surely, the capable way I had handled Isabella Swan would be proof of that.

I smiled with satisfaction as I made my way to Rosalie's office, knocking on the door before I entered this time.

"Come in," she called.

I stepped inside, and caught Rosalie frowning at me. "Well that was a quick interview," she commented. "Let me guess, you came up with some ridiculous excuse why Isabella Swan can't be your assistant."

I froze in place. The terror I had felt when faced with the herd of models in lingerie now seemed a minor worry.

"Assistant?" I choked out.

Rosalie rolled her eyes at me before landing on her computer screen. "You were speaking with her for all of fifteen minutes, Edward. If anything, you should have figured out she was overqualified to temp. She graduated top of her class and won several marketing competitions while in college. Frankly, if it weren't for this crappy economy I'm sure she would have gotten snapped up by one of the big Ad-houses."

"Marketing?" I breathed.

Rosalie turned her iciest gaze on me. "Yes, Edward," she said. "I hand-picked an extremely qualified candidate with a background in marketing to help you get this catalog done. Now, do you mind filling me if on why you obviously decided that Isabella Swan can't work with you for the next few weeks?"

"Umm…" I pulled at my necktie, which was suddenly strangling me. "Umm… I don't think she's going to want to work with me."

"Why is that?" Rose asked, her eyes narrowing and her nostrils flaring. This was very bad, she was angrier than I'd ever seen her and I haven't even told her the bad part yet.

"Well, umm…" I stammered. "I don't think she's going to want to help me with marketing because I just sent her down to get fitted for a blue teddy."

"What?" Rose screeched, jumping out of her seat. "Please tell me this is a very bad joke, Edward. Why in the hell would you send a woman with a stellar business resume down to get fitted for lingerie?"

"I thought she was the new model you wanted!" I told her, automatically ducking because I knew what was coming next.

Sure enough, Rose reached down to pull off one of her cherished high-heels and chucked it out of my head. Rose had been a softball pitcher through college, so she had speed and accuracy going for her. I had years of growing up around her and anticipating her missiles, so I just missed what may have been a lethal projectile.

"Do you ever listen to me about anything related to this business?" Rosalie screeched.

"Of course I do!" I protested.

"Then explain how you could possibly have missed me telling you that Isabella Swan was here to interview for your assistant." She enunciated each word as if speaking to someone who didn't understand English.

I slumped my shoulders. "I was worrying about the models and not paying attention."

"Then you better pay attention now," she spat through gritted teeth. "Get your wingtips moving and catch that girl before she runs straight out of here to a class action attorney. I don't care if you have to fall on your knees and ask for forgiveness, or bribe her with your Aston Martin or pretend to be mentally deranged, but you fix this. Now!"

I didn't wait to make a mad dash out of the office. I had the door closed behind me for half a second before I heard the other shoe hit the wood.

I ran to my office and picked up the phone, praying I could get Alice to hold Bella while I came up with some way to apologize and not die of asphyxiation before my throat closed up.

"Hello?" came Alice's voice.

"Alice," I nearly cried into the phone. "I'm so sorry, I messed up so bad, is Isabella Swan still there."

"What is with you today, Edward," Alice replied. "I'm beginning to worry you have split personality disorder."

"Alice, please," I whined. "I need you to stall her so I can come down and explain."

"Too late," she cut me off. "And though I hate to admit it, I think you actually made a wise choice, Edward. Bella's going to look gorgeous in the piece I gave her."

"You mean she took it?" I asked, my jaw falling onto my chest.

"Yes," Alice said. "She said something about what time she should be in your office though. I didn't get that. I thought your office was off-limits for the shoot."

I dropped the phone and started banging my head against the edge of my desk. How on earth was I going to get out of this?

**_A/N – Any theories? Will Edward be able to apologize to Bella, or will Rosalie render him a mute by stapling his tongue to his chin first? See you tomorrow to find out!_**


	3. Ch 3-Preparing for Any Possibility

Chapter 3 – Preparing for Any Possibility

**_A/N – For those of you well-read in the fandom, you'll notice a little hat-tip to Beautiful Bastard, an inspiring fanfiction turned best-seller by Christina Lauren. I own neither that, nor Twilight, but here's another chapter of this year's tribune to the #1 beta – Sunflower Fran_**

I spent all night pacing around my apartment, pulling at my hair with one hand and holding Bella's impressive resume in the other. By the time the sun came up, one look in the mirror confirmed that it would be impossible to make my reddish brown mane look like anything but waves of fire flickering off my scalp. I could also recite Bella's qualifications word by word, each one like a shovel load digging my hole of shame and guilt over the horrible assumption I had made.

My sleep deprived brain continued to offer wild ideas as to how to get myself out of this mess – each one more impossible than the last. Eventually, I decided to take my mother's often-given, seldom taken advice that honesty was the best policy. That was contrary to just about everything I had learned while getting my MBA, but perhaps mother really did know best.

I practiced my speech in my bathroom mirror several times, frequently dropping eye drops in my tired eyes. Somehow pleading with Bella with bloodshot eyes would probably work against me if I was trying to convince her that I wasn't a drunk or maniac.

I got to the office early, hoping to have a few minutes to rehearse behind my closed door before Bella arrived. I realized it was far from a sure thing that she would even came come in.

I had prepared myself for two possibilities. One was that Bella simply wouldn't show up, and I would have to track her down to apologize, while hopefully not getting charged with stalking. The other was that Bella would come in to the office, teddy in hand, ready to report me to HR and/or tell me that there was no way a professional like her would wear such a thing, even if her assignment was to help me create a lingerie catalog.

I was prepared to grovel and assure her that I would be nothing but professional and respectful to her until the assignment was complete. The fact that models would still be hanging around in their inappropriate attire would make the professional part a bit of a challenge, but I could learn to defend myself against their attacks for Bella's sake.

I was hanging my overcoat on the back of my door when I heard someone moving around the other side. I froze in place, my hands clenched around the thick wool waving like a matador's cape in my trembling hands. Would a navy flag of surrender work to calm the undoubtedly enraged woman on the other side of my door?

I couldn't even breathe as I listened intently to Bella setting down her things and turning on the computer. I realized I hadn't even gotten her set up with passwords. I'd have to let her use mine until I can talk to IT. I had been right – having an assistant was going to cost me an awful lot of time, but I really couldn't blame anyone but myself now.

I finally managed to place my coat on the hook and had my hand on the door handle to face my doom, when I heard Bella's sweet voice. I froze again, caught by the beautiful, but frightened tone.

"I'm not sure I can go through with this, Angela," Bella whispered. She must have called a friend on her cell, as I was sure there was no one else in the office and I had also neglected to leave instructions for the phone system. I dragged a hand across my face, wondering if there was ever anyone less qualified to have an assistant.

"Yes, I keep telling myself how much I need the money and that I really don't want to go home with my tail between my legs…" Bella continued, I was distracted by the metaphor, picturing Bella's shapely legs and running through various euphemistic phrases that utilized the word tail. I had to calm myself, it wouldn't do any good to greet Bella panting like a dog.

"That just makes it worse," Bella continued to her friend. "If he wasn't so freakin' gorgeous I could probably get through this. I mean, he's exactly as I pictured Bennett Ryan to look, but he's also apparently even more of a bastard than he was. He doesn't just want to rip my panties, he wants me to parade around in them."

Who was gorgeous? Who the hell was Bennett Ryan, and what the heck was all that about ripping panties?

"How am I supposed to remain calm with this silk rubbing up against me when I look into those amazing green eyes and listen to that sexy commanding voice?" Bella was practically whimpering now.

I shook my head to dispel the thought of her referring to me as gorgeous or sexy, but I couldn't quite get past the image of silk rubbing against her. What did that mean? Had she actually worn the teddy? That was impossible. Wasn't it?

"You have no idea how good it feels, Ange," Bella whispered. "I never understood how anyone could pay the kind of money they charge for these things, but honestly, the way it hugs me and makes me tingle just from wearing it. Every time I move and the silk slides across my skin, I want to take a deep breath and stand a little taller."

Damn, that was a great catalog copy. Bella really would make a great addition to our marketing team. She was logical enough to have not been persuaded by the idea of lingerie before, but creative and had a way with descriptive language.

"But, feeling sexy is a problem around HIM," Bella hissed. "I honestly am not sure if I can trust myself. If he looks at me that way again and tells me to do something, I'm not sure there's anything I wouldn't do."

"Gah!" I choked, and Bella's voice went silent on the other end. Oh no, I had given myself away and now I had to face her. From what she was saying to her friend, I guessed that Bella had worn the teddy I had presented her underneath her business attire. It was the only logical conclusion I could derive from what I had overheard. And, knowing from her resume how smart she was, I was not at all surprised that she had come up with a way to follow my orders, while still remaining professional.

"Ange, I've got to go," Bella hissed.

My time was up, I had to face the music. I opened the door and came face to face with Bella. She was standing behind her desk, biting her lip, her hands curled around the collar of the heavy overcoat she wore. I glanced down at the cell phone she had dropped on the desk, unable to meet her eyes.

"Please step into my office once you take your coat off, Ms. Swan," I said, my voice as soft as I could manage. "I'd like to speak with you about our meeting yesterday and go over my expectations for you this week."

"Yes, sir," she squeaked, and I turned to enter my office. However, before I could walk away, from the corner of my eye, I saw Bella unbuttoning her coat. She took a deep breath, her chest rising dramatically before she pulled the heavy fabric away from her tiny body, which was now covered in nothing but a scrap of deep blue silk that did indeed hug her every curve. The lace detailing rose slightly along the edge of her upper, upper thigh as she twisted to hang the coat up on the hook behind her. Mesmerized, I followed the trail the intricate patterns made across her hip and down the edge of her perfectly encased bottom. The florescent lights created an ethereal sheen along the perfect curve of Bella's ass.

I don't know if Bella was actually moving slowly or if I was having some kind of episode, but the next few moments played out like an over-cranked piece of film. Her supple bottom swayed a tiny bit to the left before swinging to the right as she pivoted back to face me. Unbelieving, I unconsciously decided to start at her feet and take in what she was wearing.

I was certain that somehow a pant suit or demure knee-length skirt would appear and I would be free to make an appointment for a cat-scan to determine why I had succumb to such a delusion. So, I kept breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth as my gaze took the tiny peak of toe cleavage in her high heels, and then traveled up the curve of her ankles, calves, and thighs – which were completely bare and slightly parted.

My visual journey now reached the black lace detail of the bottom of the teddy, and I knew that what I was seeing was indeed real. I didn't have that good of an imagination to come up with the way my hands involuntarily curved at the sight of the edge of our product meeting Bella's skin. I simultaneously wished to rip it off of her, to expose more of the perfection underneath, while at the same time I longed to explore the various textures with my palms, memorizing the differences between slippery silk, textured lace and softest skin.

As if she could read my mind, Bella's slender fingers tugged on the edges of the luxurious fabric, and then smoothed non-existent wrinkles in a path from her tiny waist over the alluring curve of her hip. I had absolutely no control as my eyes continued their ascent and landed on her breasts. I could just make out the shape of her hardened nipples under the silk that quivered as she took in shuddering breaths.

Somehow, the fact that Bella was breathing far too fast and too hard broke my trance, and I was able to tear my gaze from her chest to meet her eyes.

As soon as I was caught in her gaze, I opened my mouth to speak, but was unable to make a sound. If I had seen nothing in my confusion, or even anger in Bella's eyes, I probably would have managed to recite the apology and explanation I had gone over a hundred times the night before.

But, there was something else, completely unexpected. Bella's eyes were darker than I remembered, her pupils dilated as she took in my gaze. As our eyes met, her mouth fell open slightly and her tongue traveled across her upper lip.

The last of my remaining brain cells ceased to function. Every apology and explanation disappeared. I cannot explain how I even managed to form actual words, but the stupidity of what I said next surely can be excused when you consider what I was facing.

"Those aren't our shoes," I said, returning to her feet in a sped up journey back down her teddy-encased body.

"No, sir," Bella replied. "I don't think Esme Esoteric sells shoes."

I said nothing, but kept my eyes trained on the dark recesses between her toes, trying to bring myself somewhat back to normal. I was doing well until I remembered that sometimes what I was looking at was referred to as toe cleavage, which reminded me of Bella's fantastic breasts.

"Are they alright?" Bella asked.

"Yes," the word left my lips like a breath, as I thought about how much better than alright Bella's breasts were. Then I realized that hadn't been what she was asking about, which embarrassed me enough for me to shake my head and meet her eyes once more. I was pretty sure she heard me, as her blush deepened.

There was nothing but silence for at least a full minute. Then the elevator dinged, bringing me out of my stupor.

"You'd better come into my office," I said quickly, looking over Bella's shoulder toward the doors that were opening to reveal Rosalie. She was thankfully transfixed on her blackberry, so she didn't see Bella's very fine silk and lace encased ass the second she stepped off.

Bella nodded, and picked up a legal pad from her desk and then stepped into my room. I followed her, forcing myself to stare at a tiny freckle on her left shoulder as I closed the door.

She started talking before I could even take a seat at my desk, which threw me once again. "What did you say?" I asked, dumbly.

Bella looked even more nervous than she did before removing her coat. "I'm sorry, sir," she began.

I held up a hand. "Edward, please," I corrected.

Bella nodded. "I was just saying that as soon as I have the passwords for the computer system I can start working on some copy." She blushed deeper. "I wasn't very familiar with the product before, but the full-immersion has given me some ideas, and I've reviewed the last three year's worth of catalogs."

"Is that so?" I asked, honestly impressed by her initiative. "Very good, I've got your passwords right here."

I began looking through the small stack of papers on my desk in order to find the sheet I had prepared for the unlikely chance that Bella agreed to be my assistant. That is, it was underneath a number of drafts of various letters of apology and offers I intended to make in exchange for Bella's agreement not to sue me or the company.

For once, preparing for the most unlikely of circumstances had actually been fortuitous rather than futile.

I was congratulating myself, smirking in satisfaction, until I looked away from the papers and caught sight of Bella's cleavage again.

Idiot – I thought to myself. I hadn't thought of every possibility. Just because I had been prepared for Bella to be somehow ready and willing to be my assistant, I was in no way prepared for her to act as my assistant while wearing our product without office attire over it.

What were my options now? Could I somehow tell her that she could go home on her lunch break and get some actual clothes? How could I do that without humiliating both of us? How could I even get the words to come out? I had prepared all the various drafts of memos I was holding because I knew I wouldn't be able to speak in Bella's presence.

Then I realized I had spoken to Bella. And I had done so while she was wearing nothing but a blue teddy, and I'm pretty sure I had managed English. As long as we were actually talking about what needed to be done in order to get to work, I could actually look at her and not pass out.

I realized I must have been looking dazed and missed a question from Bella, because she was staring at me in confusion. A small crease was formed between her eyebrows as the scrunched together.

I was too curious about the theory I was forming to consider anything else, so I decided to test it.

I opened my mouth, and sure enough, I did manage to say something. Although perhaps if I had actually been working with a full-set of synapses I could have come up with something more apropos than one of my favorite Dan Draper quotes "Sometimes we don't get to choose where our talents lie."

"Excuse me?" Bella asked.

Imagining this was just another improv session in drama class, I started speaking without worrying about any consequences I may have to live with.

"You may notice that not everyone has been given the opportunity to appreciate our product as you are…" I paused, looking at her meaningfully. "Please don't take that as a negative, Bella. You may not have chosen this assignment, but you are clearly meant for it, and you will be rewarded in proportion to your willingness to work outside the box."

At that moment, Rosalie did emerge from the elevator and my pulse sped to double its normal rate. Bella turned to follow my gaze. Her face scrunched up as she took in Rose's pin-striped pant suit, as well as the group of models playing with the copy machine just on the other side of the hall.

Bella's eyes widened at the sight of the businesswoman who was often mistaken for a model. I thought for a moment that I saw tears begin to form. But, she blinked the moisture away and turned back to me.

"I understand," she said. Her tone was so forlorn I almost confessed my horrible mistake, but once again the words stuck in my throat as she inhaled a ragged breath, making her chest rise and fall before my eyes.

I blinked and gritted my teeth, trying to gather the strength to do what I know needed to be done. But, at that moment, I heard Rosalie approaching.

"I'll take care of it, Edward," she said with an exasperated sigh. "Whoever you are, you're in the wrong place, this desk isn't part of the shoot."

The walls of the office began to spin, but I managed to speak through gritted teeth. "This is my new assistant, Bella." Rosalie's mouth fell open and I had an unexpected opportunity as she for once seemed too surprised to immediately respond. I took advantage, grabbing her by the elbow and spinning her away from Bella's desk, while saying. "Let's talk in your office for a moment."

**_Will Rosalie take care of Edward's mistake, or will she take care of Edward? See tomorrow!_**


	4. Ch 4 - Creative Solution

Chapter 4 – A Creative Solution

**_A/N – Edward's got a problem, and his sister Rosalie thinks she knows what it is. Will she be able to help, or are there more high heels headed toward Edward's skull? _**

"Okay, Edward," Rosalie began. "I suppose Mom would want me to congratulate you for actually managing to form words in front of a woman in a teddy, but I think we may have a bigger problem than your phobia of your products."

I fell into the chair in front of her desk and rested my forehead on the shiny oak. "You can say that again," I grumbled, shaking my head back and forth, until I banged my temple into the edge of her stapler.

"What's your doctor's name?" she asked, picking up her phone.

"Ha, ha, ha," I groaned, my face still pressed onto her desk. "I get it, Rosalie, you're going to hurt me, I'm going to need a doctor, yadda, yadda. Can we skip ahead to the part when you tell me how to fix the mess I made?"

"I am trying to fix the mess, Edward," she said, her voice surprisingly tender. "I obviously pushed you too hard and you're having some kind of episode. Don't worry, I'll get the models away from your office. I'll even track down the real Bella Swan and she and I can finish the catalog. You can take a nice little break and come back to work when you feel better."

"Rosalie," I rose my head to meet her eyes, "that was Bella Swan. I couldn't get to her before she met with Alice yesterday, so she left with a teddy. She must have taken what I said yesterday to mean that my assistant was required to wear it."

"Now, Edward," she soothed, while putting the phone back in the cradle. "Think about what you're saying. Why on earth would an office temp agree to wear lingerie?"

Of all the times that my sister had underestimated me, I could not have guessed that the most frustrating would be when she underestimated how badly I could screw things up. She may actually impale my skull with her pump by the time we sorted this out.

"It might have had something to do with the fact that we have half-dressed women all over the office pretending to be working," I grimaced at my sister, wishing I could place all the blame on her ridiculous catalog concept. But, unfortunately I realized if I had only bothered to look at Bella's resume, I wouldn't have gone into the interview trying to be Don Draper. "Or it could be that I was trying to take your advice and acting like a chauvinist asshole right before I told her she'd get a five thousand dollar bonus if she did what I said."

"You did what?" Rosalie breathed. "You do realize that's coming out of your expense account, right?"

"I have an expense account?" I cocked my head in confusion, then quickly shook away the distraction. "I'll write a check to the company right now from my own checkbook if you can just tell me how to sort this out."

"Why didn't you just call her and tell her you made a mistake last night?" Rosalie hissed.

"Mom always said apologies should be made face to face," I replied.

"Edward!" she screeched. "You didn't forget your manners, you forgot your brain!" She smacked the back of my head with an open palm, forcing my forehead to meet the edge of her desk again. I didn't bother to lift it, but groaned with my eyes closed.

"Just help me, please, Rose," I said. "I don't want her to be embarrassed when she realizes she didn't have to come into the office like that. How can we keep her feelings from being hurt?"

"Her feelings?" Rose asked, as if we had been talking about something entirely different. "Wait a minute, is that what you're most worried about?"

"I was a complete asshole," I said, turning my head to look at her. "Of course I'm upset about it."

"You managed to not only talk to Bella, but you were an asshole to her, and now you're upset about what she thinks of you?" Rosalie was mumbling more to herself now.

"That's basically the problem, yes. Now, can we please work on a solution," I whined.

"Edward," Rosalie's blue eyes widened. "Do you know what this means?"

I shook my head, wondering what she was talking about.

"You like her," she exclaimed, a smile breaking out over her face.

At first, I was too surprised by the fact that she was no longer hitting me, and looked pleased to consider her words. Then their meaning sunk in. "Maybe we need to take you to the doctor," I said.

"Did you finally read her resume?" Rosalie asked.

"Of course I did," I said. "I read it about three hundred times last night. You were right that she's overqualified. And then I googled her and it just got worse. Did you know she didn't even put some of the awards she has won on her application? And she had a radio show in college that's still in podcast – she's incredibly witty and has great taste in music."

"And she's beautiful enough to be a model," Rosalie was grinning like the Cheshire cat.

"Yes, Rosalie," I waved my hand dramatically at her to indicate that I was acknowledging how right she had been. "She's perfect."

"You really think so, don't you?" Her smugness made me wish that I was still being hit. There was nothing worse than a sister who was right when I was wrong. But, I had to continue sucking up if I had any hope of her helping me clean up the Bella mess.

"Yes, Rosalie, she's the perfect assistant" I said, now placing my hands together in a gesture of supplication. "Now please help me tell her to put on her clothes and not sue us."

"Perfect assistant?" Rosalie's face, which I could even admit was beautiful while she smiled, turned back into a scowl. "You really are an idiot, aren't you?"

"Yes!" I exclaimed. "I'm an idiot. Now help me get that brilliant woman dressed, and figure out if she's still willing to help me get this catalog done."

Rosalie shook her head, then stopped. Her face went blank and I knew she was having one of her brainwaves.

"You've got it, don't you?" I allowed myself to grin, and I stood up to better see her face. "I know that look. You're going to help me!"

"Yes," Rosalie said. "I'm going to help you. " With that she picked up her phone and dialed.

Before I could ask who she was calling, a sweet voice came over the speaker. "Edward Cullen's office, this is Bella."

I sucked in a breath as Rosalie spoke "Bella, please grab the folder marked Valentine's Day off of Edward's desk and bring it into my office. He and I would to review some of the work that needs to be done with you."

I waved my arms wildly, trying to get her to stop. "Right away, Ms. McCarty," said Bella, and Rosalie hit the end button.

"I've got to get out of here," I cried, heading for the door.

"You are going to stay right where you are," Rosalie hissed. "I told you I'm going to help you. Just act like it's completely natural to have a meeting with a girl in her underwear and try not to be too much of an idiot."

"What?" I squeaked, just as there was a timid knock on the door.

"Remember, you're Edward Cullen, not Don Draper," Rosalie whispered to me, then said more loudly. "Come in, Bella."

Bella stepped sideways into the office, closing the door quickly behind her. She seemed slightly relieved to be out of the hall, but her face reddened as her eyes met mine.

"Okay, we've got a lot of work to do. Bella, have a seat next to Edward and you can set your laptop on my desk. Were you able to synch your calendar to Edward's?" Rosalie asked.

"Yes, Ms. McCarty," Bella said, as she got herself settled and opened up the computer. "I saw that there are some deadlines for copy coming up, and I was just reading the drafts that were on the network."

"It's Rose, please," Rosalie said. I didn't say anything; I was too busy taking in the way that Bella had crossed her legs at the ankles, leaning forward slightly in the office chair to use her keyboard.

"What did you think of the descriptions you read?" Rose asked.

Bella bit her lip and didn't answer.

"You can be honest," Rose pushed.

"Well," Bella looked over to me for a second, flushed and turned back to Rose. "Honestly, I was a little surprised by how tame they were. The language doesn't really match the innovative designs you're selling or the forward-thinking corporate culture that I've witnessed."

Bella's voice was clear and strong and she remained eye contact. The only thing that revealed how difficult it was for her to make this speech was the blush that spread across her face and down her nearly-bare chest. I couldn't help but follow the color as it moved, wondering how far it would go. I couldn't help but be impressed that this obviously shy recent graduate had the nerve to point out a problem, all while she was the only one in just her underwear.

"That's exactly what Edward was saying," Rosalie said. I jumped to hear my own name. "You two are already on the same wavelength," my sister turned her head to me and winked. I wanted to crawl under her desk and curl up in a fetal position.

"So, you want to get new descriptions?" Bella surmised, looking at me from the corner of her eye. The moment our gazes actually met, my heart started hammering and she glanced away again.

Rosalie's fingers tapping against her desk broke me out of my stupor. "Umm… yes… we should rewrite the descriptions," I mumbled, wondering how we were going to transition from this topic to the explanation of my horrible mistake.

"Well, I'm just glad we were able to get Bella signed on while there's still time for the two of you to get this done," Rosalie said. "It may take a little overtime, but I know you've never had a problem with that, Edward. And, Bella, we'll of course pay you time and a half, and adjust the bonus Edward mentioned to reflect the extra effort you'll be putting in. It will probably mean some working dinners. There's a great little Italian place that we like to order from. Bella, you can get the menu and expense forms from my assistant. Your boyfriend won't have a problem with you working through dinner, will he?"

"I don't have a boyfriend," Bella and I answered in unison. Bella's voice was stammering and soft, mine was exasperated. I couldn't believe Rosalie was using that totally stupid joke on me in front of Bella. However, when I met my sisters eyes, she wasn't laughing at me as she usually did, she was rolling her eyes.

"Well, that's another thing the two of you have in common," Rose said. "You'll make a great team, I'm sure."

I was about to tear into her, forgetting that Bella was even in the room. "Rose, are you seriously suggesting that the two of us rewrite the entire catalog over dinner?"

Rose laughed a girlish giggle I didn't even recognize and tapped me on the hand. "Edward is a real jokester," Rosalie said to Bella. "A sense of humor is so important in a guy, don't you think?"

"Umm… yeah, sense of humor," Bella mumbled.

"And so smart," Rosalie continued. I was beginning to wonder if all of this was just a bizarre dream. If only I could believe my subconscious was able to dream up a world in which my sister was complimentary and I had a beautiful assistant who came to work in lingerie. "For instance, he was just saying that we should be aim to make our catalog more like what women read when they want to get in a sexy mood."

"I what?" I said.

"That's just what I meant," Bella said. "You're selling a product for women to feel sexy. The shopping experience should be just as exciting as wearing it." She shifted a bit in her seat, and I was mesmerized by how the silk tugged against her chest.

"So maybe we build a theme around what makes women feel sexy and appreciated," Rose continued. "For instance, what's your ideal date, Bella?"

I was beginning to realize what my sister was up to. Which meant that Bella was probably already on to her. I may not have been smart about women, but I was at least smart enough to know how dumb I was.

"Umm…" Bella began.

"You know," I said. "I think we should step back from the whole dating idea. We said we wanted to come up with something that women will want to read – that will excite them and make them feel sexy. Maybe we should take a look at the New York Times Bestsellers and see what reviews mention romance."

"Hmmm…" Rosalie hummed, but I could tell she wasn't taking my suggestion seriously. "What do you think, Bella? I've read a few bestsellers in the past year, but I can't say they were particularly sexy. Have you read anything that would match what we're looking for?"

Bella looked between the two of us. "Well, I think a lot of women read fanfiction when they want to get in the mood."

"Fanfiction?" I asked.

"I'm sure my younger brother knows more about that than I do," says Rose. "But, I think I read something about some romance novels that started in fanfiction. There was one that even had a character that was obsessed with underwear."

"I think you mean _Beautiful Bastard_," Bella said. "I can see that working along with the office concept you've got for this catalog."

"Alright," Rosalie said. "Well, I guess I have some reading to do to catch up with what you guys already know. But, I look forward to reading what you come up with. Bella, if you'll excuse us, I have a family matter to discuss with my brother."

"Of course," she said, standing, and turning to go. All the blood in my brain headed south at the sight of the little freckle on her back. Actually, I was focusing with all my might on that freckle so my eyes wouldn't wander to her silk encased ass.

"You're going to need something to wear for dinner," I said, before I could stop myself.

"Of course," Bella said, turning back to me in relief. "I could just run home on my lunch hour."

"No," I glowered at the thought of Bella in the city streets covered by nothing but her overcoat. "I'll call my personal shopper and have them bring a dress over. You'll wear that."

Bella swallowed and I could feel the daggers Rose was imaging throwing at me. "Less Don Draper," my sister muttered under her breath.

I ignored her. "You may also want to have Alice give you a few new things, to wear under the dress," I said.

Bella nodded and turned to leave.

"She really is smart, isn't she?" I mumbled to myself as soon as the door closed behind Bella.

"Proof that opposites attract," Rose answered. "By the way, Edward, you don't have a personal shopper."

"Oh crap," I said, turning back to her in horror. "Do you think I could have your assistant sneak in a package if I got an Amazon drone to drop off a dress?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "You are not taking that girl out to dinner in something delivered by a drone. I'll call Bergdorf's and have my shopper bring something over."

"You mean they actually exist?" I said, surprised.

Rosalie shook her head, which I took to mean that personal shoppers did, indeed, exist. I was distracted for a moment, wondering if there was a way to target our message to that very specific audience.

"I'll also get Angela to pick up a copy of _Beautiful Bastard_," Rose said, breaking my train of thought. "You've got some reading to do before dinner."

**_Lucky Edward gets to read PTP fanfiction for his job! Let's see if he gets some good ideas._**


	5. Ch 5 - Theory

Chapter 5 –Theory

_**A/N - Thank you all for the reviews, and sorry for not replying to any. I truly appreciate every one, but I am trying to keep up the daily update while managing RL responsibilities. Just two more days of updates to go...**_

I spent most of the rest of my day hiding in my office, taking occasional breaks from reading to pace around trying out lines and feeling like a complete idiot.

It would be easier trying to be Don Draper than Bennett Ryan. I honestly couldn't understand what was so attractive about this guy. He was a jerk – is that really what women wanted? Is that what Bella wanted?

And what was all this with the panty-ripping? Someone needed to explain this to me. First of all, I didn't think a well-made panty would rip from just a guy pulling on them. Even if you assumed that the material was poor quality and the stitching was shoddy, how could you get the panties to fail without hurting the girl wearing them?

Thinking this way was helping to tap my previously-hidden confidence. Maybe I couldn't quite pull of being a complete bastard, but I did have a wide range of resources available to me. And that included an entire warehouse of well-made panties that I intended to put to good use.

I scrounged up the courage to emerge from my office shortly after lunch to see Bella typing furiously on her laptop. She was still wearing nothing but the teddy, but she was no longer squirming or looking uncomfortable. She looked like the outside world had ceased to exist as her fingers flew across the keys. This was probably a good thing, as the models down the hall were making a ridiculous show of working, and she would probably realize they were just faking it if she was paying any attention to them.

It was really unfortunate that we wouldn't be able to photograph Bella. Aside from her perfect figure and deliciously creamy white skin, her intensity as she bit her lip and gazed into the screen was mesmerizing. I couldn't wait to read what she was writing, and hoped that it may reveal more about the paradox of Bella Swan – shy and innocent with her blushes and stammering, but confident and strong when she spoke her mind.

As if she sensed my gaze, Bella turned away from the screen and our eyes met. Her lips parted, but she didn't speak. She inhaled a ragged breath as she took in my intense stare and my eyes traveled downward from her lips, swollen from her nervous habit of chewing on them. As my gaze wandered to her chest, I saw her nipples react, their points coming to attention underneath the blue silk.

"I'd like you to pick out your own undergarments to change into once the dress from Bergdorf's arrives," I told her, trying to keep my voice level and my eyes on her face. I succeeded until her tongue peaked out from her full lips to moisten them before she answered me. This forced me to look away.

"I thought I would just wear the dress over this?" Bella replied, her voice steady. I could tell from the absence of typing sounds that she was focused on me. I needed to continue making a good show of an aloof chauvinist.

I scowled, studying the carpet under her chair until I could trust myself to admire Bella again. My gaze rose up her long legs, which were tucked beneath her as she perched on the edge of the office chair as she responded.

"I'd like you to have a broader range of experience with our products," I said. "One of the benefits of being my assistant is that anything you desire that is made by Esme Esoterics is yours for the asking. Get used to that." I said, using my best Madmen-tone.

"I'm not sure I can," Bella said, her voice colored in shame. I looked up to her face to see her eyes were cast downward.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked, trying to sound harsh, but really wanting to wrap my arms around her and offer her comfort.

"Those things aren't for women like me," Bella said quietly.

"Of course they are," I countered. "Haven't you looked at yourself in the mirror today? I don't think there's another woman on the planet as beautiful as you are in that teddy. If I didn't know better I'd swear it was made especially for you."

Bella gasped quietly, but shook her head at my words. "That's what's great about your line – they are made to make every woman feel special – even a nobody like me."

"Bella," I grumbled. "You are not a nobody, and you are not to refer to yourself as such. Now, get down to see Alice and tell her to give you four bras and four panties, plus some stockings and garters. I want you to draft some copy for each item. I'll chose which you'll wear and you can get changed as soon as your dress arrives. We'll go to dinner and work on copy based on what you have on. So keep in mind that you'll be describing to me in detail any one of the four sets."

That may not have been a speech either of the characters I was modelling the false-Edward on would say, but it seemed appropriate. Bella's eyes widened at my order, but she nodded vigorously. I retreated into my office and made a few phone calls to a couple suppliers that had been dragging their feet on contracts. I considered picking up the book again, but decided against it.

I knew that in order to get through dinner with a beautiful woman discussing lingerie, I would need something calming to thinking about. So, I reviewed the cash flow statements until I heard a timid knock on my door.

"Come in," I called, keeping my eyes glued to the spreadsheet in front of me, even though the numbers stopped making any sense as soon as I knew Bella was in the room with me.

"The delivery from Bergdorf's is here, and the warehouse sent over the items you asked for, sir," Bella said, her voice steady.

"Good," I replied, still not looking her way. "Bring in the bras and panties, and lay them out here," I tapped the far side of my desk and then moved my fingers back to my keyboard in order to make an edit to the spreadsheet.

I continued to pretend to look at anything but Bella and the items she was carefully setting on my desk until I saw her hand move away for the fourth time. I looked up to see Bella standing with her arms at her side. She was tugging at the edges of fabric covering her hips again.

"Is the lace detailing of your teddy uncomfortable," I asked, honestly curious if this was the case.

I thought back to the arguments that Rosalie and I had about market research and customer reviews, which had drawn inconclusive results. Some women liked the look and feel of lace against their upper thighs, others said they couldn't wait to take it off. My sister had insisted that I wasn't interpreting the feedback correctly when I suggested we look for other edging material.

"No," Bella said, quickly moving her hands away from the material. She pressed her palms onto her thighs, as though wiping something away. She couldn't possibly have sweaty hands. Sure, we had turned the office heat up so none of the models or Bella froze, but I had to imagine she was still a little on the cool side in her present attire.

I cocked my head to consider this problem, and Bella mimicked my gesture, as if she was trying to figure out what I was thinking, just as I was trying to read her mind.

Bella guessing what I was really thinking at that moment would spell disaster. I had to focus if I was going to keep up my act. Men who wanted to intimidate would invade someone's personal space, so I stood up and came to stand next to Bella on the opposite side of the desk, and looked down at the pieces she had displayed on my once-lingerie free desk.

I quickly realized this was another mistake, as I could feel the warmth of Bella's skin all along my side. She reached up to smooth her hair over her shoulder, hiding the side of her face, but stirring the air with a delicious floral scent which I assumed was her shampoo. I swallowed and gritted my teeth, reminding myself to focus on the choice I had to make and not images of Bella in the shower.

Each set was color-coordinated, and I recited the names we had given the shades of blue, purple, green and white that were in front of me a few times, trying to make my thoughts detached. This was just merchandise, their specifications were the same now that I was trying to choose which Bella would wear. Costs of goods, shipping weights, and production times ran through my head like a mantra until I was ready to make my selection.

The first, a cerulean piece of unadorned silk looked like a nice simple panty that would be comfortable for Bella and be the easiest for me to not be completely distracted by. I picked it up in one hand and was surprised that there was considerably less fabric than I expected. Then I realized it was a thong. The innocent looking front was a tease, and Bella's bare cheeks would be separated from me only by the soft fabric of her dress if I selected these.

"No," I said, tossing them on the floor as if the fabric was white from heat.

The emerald boyfriend shorts were also thrown down, as I couldn't bear the idea of Bella wearing something that was named after the concept of a woman borrowing her lover's clothing. That just brought up a whole slew of ideas I did not want to consider.

Ditto to the wedding-night white lace briefs. I didn't want to consider Bella on her wedding night.

That left the Byzantium purple hip-huggers, a low rising pair that were unadorned on each side, but featured an intricate design of ribbon and lace across the back and front. The bra was similarly decorated in fine black embroidery. There were plenty of details to describe, which in some ways made them the easiest writing assignment.

"These," I said, tapping them with my index finger and then stepping away. Even with my desk between us again, I could feel the heat of her along my side, as if I had been burned by her proximity.

"I'll just get changed," Bella said, making a move to gather up all four sets.

"You can leave the other three," I said, deciding I would do a little more investigating while she was getting into her new clothes.

Bella bit her lip, but met my eyes as she nodded, and then turned to go, cradling the purple bra and panties in her arms like they were a child. She hesitated a moment in front of my door where the garment bag holding her dress was hung, then quickly grabbed it and headed down the hall. I realized she may have thought I would ask her to model the underwear before she could put on the dress.

I let out a sigh of relief, thankful that I would now be dealing with a fully-dressed Bella. That would have to make the rest of my night a piece of cake compared to the hours I had just endured.

I could manage talking to her, even if we were trying to come up with ridiculous scenarios like bastards ripping panties off of their assistants. Which reminded me about the theory I needed to test. If Bella was anything like my sister had been growing up, I had more than a few minutes until she was finished getting dressed.

Picking up the white briefs, I looked around my office for a suitable object. The best I could come up with was an eight-by-ten silver frame that held a picture of our old family dog.

I stretched the fabric around the frame, and then put it back on the very edge of my desk. I then bent over to examine the panties more closely, in order to determine their weakest joint. It would have to be where the different fabrics met. I examined the seam where the panties would rest on a woman's hip bone, and frowned at the tight stitches.

Now, I had to think about the proper movement. The fanfiction hadn't been specific about whether the pull was from bottom up or top down. But, I figured it would be best to pull down, and away from the woman. I also assumed that speed and precision would be the most important factors rather than strength, like trying to slice a stack of wood with a karate chop.

With the lightning fast motion of a cobra, I grabbed the fabric, bunching it in my hand and pulled down as quickly as I could, then released. The picture frame wobbled and started to fall to the floor, but I managed to catch it, avoiding breaking the glass. The panty remained in one piece, only slightly off center from where I had stretched it.

"I knew it," I mumbled. Ripping panties indeed. No one was ripping Esme Esoteric panties, unless you were a comic book hero with super-human strength.

Bolstered by the proof of my suspicion, I put the frame back in place, and gave it another shot, pulling up this time, while placing my other hand on the top of the picture to keep it from flying off the desk. This allowed me to keep pulling against the fabric, and I could feel a satisfied grin spreading across my face as I watched it stretch only slightly and stay together.

"Definitely impossible," I said. But just as the words came out of my mouth I heard the door handle behind me jiggle. I spun around, one hand still grasping the top of the frame and the other full of silk.

Quickly discerning that my intruder was blond, and therefore not Bella, I let out a sigh of relief which quickly turned into a scowl.

"What are you still doing here, Rose?" I asked, replacing my photo to its proper place and shoving the panties in my suit-coat pocket.

"I was going to ask you the same thing," she asked. "Your reservations are in less than fifteen minutes, and I doubt Bella Italia is going to hold the private room I reserved for long."

"You reserved a private room?" I asked. Realizing that she was right and I had to hurry to meet the reservation, I took advantage of her excuse to exit the office. I really didn't want to be standing in the same room as my sister and several pairs of bras and panties.

"Well, I wasn't going to let you try to do this in a crowded dining room, Edward," she said rolling her eyes. "First of all, we don't want to create any leaks about the new products before we're ready to roll out this line. Second, I assume you and Bella are going to want some privacy."

"Rose," I growled at her, "we're going to have a working dinner. Thank you for arranging to get her a dress, but I assure you, there is going to be nothing but a professional discussion about catalog copy going on tonight."

Rosalie looked up at the ceiling in a gesture of disgust. When her eyes lowered I could tell she was getting ready to throw an insult at me, but her attention was diverted by something behind me.

I turned to see Bella coming down the hall from the ladies room. My knees literally started to shake as she moved toward us.

I would have thought that seeing Bella in practically no clothing was the sexiest thing I could imagine. But, having more of her alabaster skin covered in a simple black dress did nothing to stop the fantasies I had been doing my best to suppress all day.

She walked differently now, too. She stood a little taller, her shoulders back and relaxed rather than stiff and hunched forward on herself as they had been most of the day. Her hips moved more naturally, as she allowed them to sway with her steps rather than trying to minimize their movements. Her arms swung at her sides, away from her body so they didn't cover the perfect hourglass silhouette.

Behind me, Rose snickered under her breath. "Yes, Edward, I'm sure it will be nothing but professional when Bella describes her underwear to you, wearing that dress, in a romantic restaurant over candlelight and wine."

My mind was completely blank. I just stood there like a mute until Bella was at my side, looking back and forth between Rose and Bella.

"Were you joining us, Ms. McCarty?" Bella asked.

"Oh no," Rose said. "I'm not any good at the creative stuff. I trust you two will get along much better on your own. Remember to charge everything to YOUR expense account, Edward." With this she gave me a swift shove in between my shoulder blades so I was forced to take a step forward.

I snapped my head back to Rose, and in the moment my eyes were off Bella, I remembered the role I needed to play.

"Of course it will go on my expense account," I said in my normal voice. Then, in a slightly lower tone, added, "You'll want to order the espresso when we get there Bella, we're going to have a long evening together."

**_Who likes a little dirty-talk with their dinner? Serving up tomorrow!_**


	6. Chapter 6 - Working Dinner

**Ch 6 – Working Dinner**

**_A/N –Thank you for all the great feedback this little story has received. I especially appreciate those of you who caught my mistake of giving Rosalie two different last names. (D'oh!) Now you know why I'm so grateful for Fran! _**

I placed my left hand on the small of Bella's back to guide her toward the elevators, keeping it there as I pressed the down button with my right. "Let's hold off on the catalog talk until we're settled at the restaurant," I told Bella as we stepped onto the elevator.

"Oh, okay," she mumbled, staring at her shoes and biting her lip.

"I'd like to know more about you," I turned to her, our faces inches apart, and was unsurprised to see a blush spreading across her cheeks.

"What do you want to know?" she asked as a ding announced our arrival at the underground garage level. Taking a breath for courage, I reached further around, wrapping my arm around her waist and held her close to my side as we walked toward the passenger side of my car.

I opened the door for her, and gestured for her to slide into my Vanquish. Our eyes met as she sunk into the leather bucket seat, and I considered.

There was a lot I wanted to know about Bella, but it was probably best to start with something that wasn't too personal. "Well, since we'll have a few minutes together in the car, why don't you tell me what kind of music you like to listen to," I offered. I was rewarded with a small smile before closing her door and walking around to my own.

Bella turned to me, and her voice was full of enthusiasm as she answered. "It's funny that you brought that up, because I was thinking last night about a song that I could imagine working for a soundtrack of an online video campaign."

I smirked, realizing that she had intentionally turned the conversation back to business but willing to go along until I could turn it back to her. "Really," I said. "I'm intrigued, do you think it's something we could get the rights to?"

Bella nodded. "It's actually a classical piece, so even if we were unable to obtain the rights to the recording I had in mind, I'm sure we could find another."

"You surprise me," I said. "I thought you'd suggest something current. What is the piece you had in mind?"

"'Clair de Lune' by Debussy."

I laughed, and Bella turned in her seat to look at me. "You don't think it will work?"

"No, that's not it at all, I was just surprised because that's one of my favorites. I've got two different versions on my iPod." To prove my point, I activated my Bluetooth and called up the song, which soon filled the small space. Bella closed her eyes and leaned back into the seat.

"It's one of my favorites, too," Bella said. "I was thinking that so much of what you see in lingerie advertising is over aggressive sounding melodies, like the women are under attack, but it's not how you feel when you're wearing something sexy. Sure, there's an excitement to it, but you should also feel soothed and happy with yourself, like this song."

"I think you have a good point, and we definitely don't want to do what everyone else is doing. Tell me, how did you become familiar with Debussy?"

Bella shared that it was her mother that had encouraged a love of classical music, and they she had even majored in musical theory in college before realizing that she was too shy to be a performer and didn't have much interest in teaching. She had transferred to business, deciding to play it safe.

"So, you didn't have a passion for lingerie before starting with us?" I asked, knowing her answer.

"Not really," she said. "I'm not exactly what you would consider the ideal customer."

"Which is exactly why you are the ideal person to help me revitalize the brand and expand our audience," I said. We pulled up to the restaurant, and I handed my keys to the valet. Bella allowed me to guide her into the restaurant, my hand in its new favorite spot in the small of her back.

I was watching intently as Bella removed her coat, amazed at the change from the fidgeting insecure woman I had found in my office yesterday. Trying to be casual, I looked her up and down as I took it from her and placed it over my arm.

I had obviously found her beautiful and been impressed by her figure when I first laid eyes on Bella. Otherwise I wouldn't have made the horrible mistake of assuming she was a model. But, I realized it had been foolish to think that, since everything she had been wearing hid her assets, rather than accentuating her curves. The difference was extreme: she was simply breathtaking, her body the ideal of feminine beauty.

I hadn't finished enjoying the view when we were interrupted by the maître d. He also seemed to be enjoying looking at Bella a little too much – I gritted my teeth as he greeted her and ushered us into the private room.

As soon as our server came into the room, I gave a silent thanks that she was female. This allowed me to focus solely on Bella, without worrying about another man being disrespectful. I didn't bother to look at the menu or the waitress, but kept my gaze on the face of the beauty before me as I requested two glasses of my favorite red.

Bella blushed when her eyes met mine, but frowned when she glanced away to tell the server she didn't want anything else.

"She's quite pretty," Bella said as the woman left the room.

"I didn't notice," I replied, honestly, I couldn't even say what color hair she had.

Bella gave me a satisfied smile, and I realized she had been jealous. This made me grin widely, but I was also reminded of a nagging curiosity.

"So, what exactly is attractive about Bennett Ryan?" I asked, unable to hold back the question any longer.

Bella bit her lip and her eyes danced across my face. Finally, she answered. "I think you'd have to read the book to understand."

"I did," I replied.

"You did?" she gasped.

"Yes," I said. "And I'll have you know that there is no way he could rip our panties."

Bella giggled.

"I'm being completely serious," I started. I almost explained the experiment I had performed over my dog's picture, but something made me stop. Maybe that wasn't something Don Draper would actually have done.

"Well," Bella said. "I definitely wasn't thinking about our products being destroyed in any of the catalog copy."

"Are you avoiding my question?" I pushed.

She shook her head. "I don't know if it's about him so much as it is about her."

I felt my chin hit my chest. Was I missing something about Bella that was going to be a huge disappointment? At that moment the waitress came back in. I thought back to Bella's comment about her being pretty and watched for any sign that Bella was interested in her. Bella blushed under my scrutiny, and cast her eyes down.

I didn't dare look away, not only because I didn't want to miss evidence of my fearful suspicion, but I could not get enough of the way the pink spread over Bella's chest. There was actually a tad bit more cleavage on display in her dress than there had been on her teddy.

"Sir," a harsh voice interrupted my thoughts.

"What?" I asked, dumbly turning to the waitress.

"Is there anything I can get for you?" she prompted.

I scowled at her, "Please attend to the lady first," I said, annoyed that I had to remind the staff at such a nice restaurant of such basic etiquette, and looking back at Bella.

"The lady has already requested the mushroom ravioli," the waitress replied, and I could feel the tips of my ears warm. Bella bit her lip to keep from laughing and nodded to indicate that she had, indeed, ordered while I was lost in my thoughts. My defenses were breaking down. At this rate, Bella would realize I wasn't the type of guy she thought I was before our entrees arrived. I didn't think it was a good idea for her to see the real me, yet.

I tapped my reserve of jerkish behavior to cover the faux pas. "I'll have the same," I said in my best arrogant tone, while waving the waitress away without looking at her.

"Certainly, sir," the waitress replied.

I waited a few seconds to allow her to leave the room before speaking again to Bella. "You're avoiding the question," I said with my best scowl.

"I'm just not sure how to answer," she said, seemingly unaffected by my expression and tone. "I mean, it's about how he makes her feel, like he has no control over himself, yet he can completely control her."

"I guess I don't understand the romance of that concept." I frowned.

"I didn't say it was romantic," Bella mumbled.

"Hmm…" perhaps we should change the subject. I decided to try and channel my inner-jerk again. "Well, is the piece you've prepared for our catalog romantic?"

"I guess, I'm not sure," Bella stumbled again.

"Well, let me be the judge then," I said. "You know I can picture what you have on underneath that dress. I'm sure the red undertone of Byzantium silk would be accentuated by lovely pink blush that is spreading across your chest."

Bella flushed at the intensity of my gaze, as if I could literally see through her dress. She bit her lip and nodded.

"I want to hear the story you've prepared to convince our customers that these pieces will bring them into a real-life fantasy. Did you bring your drafts with you?"

Bella swallowed and her eyes widened. "I have them on my phone."

"Very good," I said. "Get it out and read it to me."

Bella opened her purse and pulled out her phone, making a few swipes and taps. I watched her every move, feeling my anticipation build, eager to have a window into her mind.

"I tried writing from both a female and male point-of-view, but the pieces you chose had a woman's story," she explained, obviously stalling from reading what she had prepared.

"Read it," I pressed.

Bella stayed silent, I watched her brown eyes dart from side to side as she looked at the words on her phone.

"Bella," I growled. "Don't over-think it now, just read me what you have written."

"Okay, like I said, this happens to be written from a woman's perspective," she said.

I nodded.

Bella took a deep breath, and began to read from her tiny screen. Her voice took on a slightly deeper tone as she got further into the scene.

"I stood, my hands on the curtains. Pushing them open, the black of the night outside makes a perfect mirror of my bedroom window. Trembling slightly, I take in the reflection of a woman so beautiful I don't recognize her. She is a vision of perfect curves, adorned at the apex in delicate lace. I can barely recognize myself in the image – just as I barely recognize myself in the boldness of standing on display.

But, I long for him to take me in. I imagine his eyes taking in the seductive details. I wonder if the distance is too great for him to see the way the florals of tulle make a path for him to follow along my hips. Perhaps it is only my silhouette that is discernible from the light of my bedside lamp to the streets below.

There is no knock when he reaches my door. He is beside me at the window before I even hear him approach. Our eyes meet in the dark glass and we both watch as his fingers trace the scallop edge of my neckline. His thumb brushes the tiny silk bow that rests over my beating heart. As his hands slide to my hips, I imagine how the soft silk feels to his rough hands. I love the softness, but I crave a different texture against my skin."

I gulped and Bella met my eyes.

"So, you like the idea of a stranger fantasy?" I asked.

"I was trying to not be specific about whether she knew him or not," she replied.

At that moment the waitress came back in.

"I think it's quite good," I said to Bella, leaning back in my chair. "Tell me, did you write them all as if it were the same characters, or did you imagine different people for each of your pieces."

"Umm…" Bella blushed crimson. This was a surprise because she had been confident and sure in her recitation.

Her eyes flitted to the waitress, who was laying our plates down. I kept my eyes focused on Bella's face, not bothering to acknowledge the other woman, who thankfully recognized our need for privacy and left the room without any platitudes about the meals now before us.

"I guess I was picturing the same people for all of the narratives."

"Hmmm…" I mumbled, wondering about the man Bella pictured when she came up with those words.

She had lifted a fork to her mouth and caught me frowning at her, my own plate untouched.

"Aren't you hungry?" she asked.

"Not for food," I replied without thinking. As the words came out of my mouth, I could feel my eyes grow wide and my hand twitch in a reflexive desire to slap myself on the forehead. Did I really just imply that I saw Bella as something to eat?

Bella cocked her head to the side, as if trying to make sense of what she was seeing across the table.

"I'm curious," she started, then bit her lip in that infuriating way again.

"About?" I encouraged.

"What would you have written about the piece you selected for me?"

"I'm not a writer," I replied, leaning back in my chair. "That's why I need you."

"But, you must have had an expectation of what kind of story I'd come up with, or what I might say about these beautiful pieces of lingerie," she pushed. "As you pointed out, you were the one that picked them, so I thought there might be a reason."

"Oh, I had my reasons," I smirked, thinking of the wave of jealousy that had come to me when I discounted the boyfriend shorts and wedding white panties.

"What were they?" she asked.

"I'm going to call it a CFO's prerogative not to share my decision-making process," I said.

"I suppose that is your prerogative," Bella said quietly. "Though you're not at all what I imagined a CFO to be like."

"How so?" I asked.

"Well, I guess I assumed that most CFO's don't get involved in the marketing. And I imagined someone who works with numbers all day wouldn't be so…"

"So…"

"Passionate," Bella finished, before looking back down at her plate flushing crimson. "For the product, I mean."

"I guess I've surprised both of us," I chuckled. Bella giggled, too. But the crackling tension in the tiny dining room remained.

As the silence drew on, I considered her question. What would I have written about the pieces of silk that were now wrapped around this precious woman's body?

"I suppose I'd have written from a male point of view, as I'm not that imaginative to get into a woman's head. That probably wouldn't be good for the catalog, would it?"

Bella shook her head. "No, I think a lot of woman would be encouraged to buy from a male point of view. That's why I tried both. But, my words trying to sound like a man were probably a bit more forced." She pushed the edge of her phone, and I wished I could quickly take it and read without her noticing. But, I would never invade her privacy that way.

"Try," Bella said.

"What?" I asked, wondering if she could read my mind and was teasing me about trying to get into her phone.

"Try to describe them, what I'm wearing, from a man's point of view," she said. "Or describe a scene that you imagine from picturing them."

I gulped, wondering if I could manage to do what she was asking. "You've gotten quite bold over the course of your first day, haven't you Miss Swan?"

"Working in my underwear has that affect, apparently. You don't seem quite the same as you did this morning. Why is that?" she pushed.

"I guess you take down my defenses. I know I should resist you, but I don't know if I can." I reached out to touch her hand, and was surprised that Bella offered her palm to me.

"I'm sure you can," Bella pushed. "You're used to doing whatever you want, aren't you?"

I gave one mirthless laugh at that. If only she knew how hard today had been for me. The realization hit me like a plummeting stock. I couldn't keep this charade up forever, nor did I want to. I had finally found a beautiful girl that I could actually form words around. Even better, my words would make her smile, and it made my heart want to explode. How could I keep on playing a character around her?

"Bella," I said. "I have to tell you something."

We were leaning toward each other over the table, so close now that our foreheads were inches apart.

"What is it Edward?" she breathed.

"The other women you saw in the office, the ones wearing lingerie," I began. My throat became a desert and I paused to take a drink, hoping to find courage in the bottom of the wine glass.

While I was sipping the waitress entered again. "Would the lady or the gentleman care for anything else this evening?" she purred. I spared a glance at my untouched plate and noticed that Bella had also eaten very little.

Bella shook her head, and I responded to the waitress while looking at her. "Just the check, please."

As she exited, I blew out a breath, wondering how I was going to manage to get this out.

"You were saying something about the other employees," Bella prompted cocking her head.

"Well," I mumbled. "The thing is, they aren't technically employees. They're all models pretending to work in the office. When I interviewed you, I thought you had come in for a modeling job, I didn't realize you were a professional."

"What?" Bella yanked her hand out of mine and blinked at me, her spine straight and her eyes glistening.

"I'm so sorry, Bella," I started.

"Sorry?" she asked.

"I made a mistake, and when you showed up the next day, you had your coat on, so I didn't realize…"

"You didn't realize that I had only my coat and a teddy that you had that woman in the warehouse give me."

"That was a mistake, too, she didn't realize who you were either."

"Oh my god," Bella dropped her head into her hands. I hated it, I wanted to see her face, even if she was angry with me. Even if she was so hurt that she was crying, I wanted to be able to wipe the tears away. "I have to get out of here," she mumbled into her palms.

"I'll drive you back to the office, you left your car there, right?" I said, desperately trying to focus on the practicalities and not the way Bella's small frame was trembling and I could not wrap her in my arms to soothe her.

"No," Bella snapped, standing up and walking toward the door. "I don't need you to do that. I can get myself home from here. Please let me go, Edward."

"Bella," I started after her.

"I really don't want to be near you right now."

**_A/N – What will Edward do? If all goes well, you will have an answer (and a lemon - promise!) by the end of the day tomorrow! Next chapter will be the final update, but it may be a little late, and will probably be a little longer than the previous chapters._**


	7. Ch 7 - Not That Kind of Guy

Chapter 7 – Not That Kind of Guy

**A/N – Happy New Year! Are you ready for a lemon? Mr. LPB reviewed this for me, so we both hope Sunflower Fran enjoys her tribute. Thanks for everything you do for me and everyone in the fandom lucky enough to have your support!**

_"I really don't want to be near you right now…"_

The words echoed in the tiny private dining room long after Bella disappeared out the door. I sat frozen in silence for what felt like an hour, until the weight of my own stupidity came crashing down on me and I fell forward onto the empty table.

I closed my eyes and continued to bang my forehead there, wishing that the thud of my skull hitting the wood and the tinkling of the remaining glasses and flatware were louder. Though each hit and the echo of fine china that followed was its own cacophony, they could not drown out the memory of Bella's voice.

_"Let me go, Edward… I really don't want to be near you…"_

As I let my head rise and fall for the tenth time, I was surprised by a slightly softer landing and more muted thud against the table. I opened my eyes to see that the waitress had slid the bill portfolio in under my head while I had been on the upward swing.

That reminded me that I hadn't ever figured out how to access my expense account. I wasn't just incompetent at seduction; I was an embarrassment as a Chief Financial Officer.

"What do I do now?" I asked aloud, sitting up and blinking in surprise at the waitress, who was doing her best to look unfazed by my erratic behavior.

"We accept all major credit cards, sir," she said in a cool tone. But, her facade of impersonality cracked a bit as she took in my face. Her eyes drifted to my forehead, which I'm sure would be sporting a bruise soon if there wasn't one there already.

"It's not my place, but perhaps you could try to apologize with a gift," she said under her breath. "Something to let her know how special she is to you. I always find it easier to forgive my boyfriend when he brings me a nice piece of lingerie."

I groaned so loudly that the waitress jumped back, her eyes darting toward the door. I scared her. She was probably imagining what I had done to make Bella leave as upset as she was. With a grimace, I realized she probably couldn't be thinking of anything worse than the reality. Both of them, Bella and the waitress, were right to not want to be near me. In a little more than a day, I had gone from hiding from women to having them flee from me.

I reached inside my jacket for my wallet and was relieved to see that I had more than enough cash on me to settle the bill. I threw down a couple hundreds, hoping the waitress would consider the tip enough to excuse my bizarre behavior.

"Apologies should be made in person, not in lingerie." I mumbled mostly to myself as I rushed out of the restaurant.

I looked back and forth on the street, hoping to catch a glimpse of Bella getting into a taxi or walking away. I glanced at my watch, but since I had no idea when she had stormed out that really didn't help me to know how much of a head start she had.

How much worse would I make things if I showed up at her apartment building? Was that enough to be charged with stalking? I couldn't wait until the morning to try and make this right. I had no idea if she would even bother coming into the office, and the thought of never seeing her again made my chest constrict.

Thankfully I still had her resume memorized in perfect detail, including her address.

It probably wasn't something Don Draper would do, and it definitely isn't something I had ever done, but I was going to follow her home and beg Bella to forgive me, even if it meant getting down on my knees on her doorstep. I ran to my car and pulled out into the street without even allowing my engine to warm up.

She didn't live in the kind of neighborhood with doormen and valets, but I had a small piece of luck in that there was an open parking space and another female tenant entering just as I pulled up. I ran to catch the door, trying to think of how I could convince her to let me in, when she saw me and her eyes widened.

"I would definitely remember you if you lived here," she purred at me.

"I'm here to see Bella Swan," I said, breathing heavy in my anxiety.

Bella's neighbor frowned, but stepped aside. "Lucky Bella," she grumbled.

I took a half step back, startled that I was being granted access without any further explanation. If I could get Bella to forgive me enough to talk to me ever again, I'd have to try and convince her to move to a safer building.

But, I didn't have time to think of that now. I ran up the stairs, tripping over the edge of my coat when I tried to take them two at a time. Thankfully I didn't run into any other neighbors before I got to Bella's door.

My heart was trying to beat out of my chest, and I was gasping for breath, but I didn't pause before knocking on the door. I waited about half a minute before knocking again. The door remained closed and I could not make out any sounds from inside the apartment.

I pressed my face into the doorjamb, trying to make my voice carry inside. "Bella, please, just let me say I'm sorry, and I promise I'll leave."

Nothing.

"Bella," I moaned, knocking again. I dragged my hand over my face, trying to come up with some way to get her to open the door.

I decided to just keep talking, hoping that if I did it long enough I'd somehow come up with something that would make her understand that I wasn't really a chauvinist jerk or an immature loser. Or at least, I didn't want to be either of those things.

"Please, Bella," I said. "I know I made a huge mistake, and I should have been much braver and worked harder to fix it sooner, but I did tell you the truth as soon as I could. You have to realize that I'm not at all the man you thought you saw when we met. I've spent the last three weeks hiding in my sister's office because I'm frightened of beautiful women. And, you are by far the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. I couldn't be myself around you, so I tried to be someone else."

"Well, most of the time I tried to be someone else. But, the real Edward slipped out now and then. I think you saw it, too. Because you're so smart and perceptive, and I'm just an idiot. I didn't even realize what I was saying and what you were seeing when you came into interview until it was too late."

"Any reasonable person would have explained the second you took off your coat. But, I was in shock."

"And it wasn't just the shock of seeing you, even though you should know that the image of you in that blue teddy would bring just about any man in the world to his knees to worship you. I was already having trouble thinking clearly when I heard you tell your friend on the phone that you like my eyes and my commanding voice. And I so wanted you to keep liking me. Even though I know you probably hate me now. Just being around you made me feel like a different person."

"Bella, I'm not the kind of guy who would make a professional woman work in just her underwear. I'm the kind of guy who would order you something from Amazon to wear to dinner. I'm the kind of guy that would ruin a wonderful evening when I was getting to know how incredibly sexy your mind was by telling the truth in the worst time and the worst way."

"You're the kind of guy who would sneak into my building and make a big speech to an empty apartment." The sweet voice I had been longing to hear came from behind me in the hall, not from the other side of the door as I expected.

I spun around to come face to face with Bella, her key in her hand.

"How did you get in?" she asked.

"I told your neighbor I was here to see you," I said.

"Well, I can make a pretty good guess who that was," Bella rolled her eyes and shook her head. "And as much as I'm sure the whole hall is enjoying your soliloquy, I'm not the type of girl who enjoys embarrassing a man by keeping him shut out while he's trying to apologize."

"You're not?" I asked, hopefully.

"No," Bella said. "But I'm also not the kind of girl who invites her boss into her apartment after he takes her to dinner."

"I would never think you were," I said, my hands raised.

We stood there, staring at each other for what seemed like several minutes.

"So," Bella started, dragging the word out. "We've both been acting like people we're not recently. I guess there's no reason to stop now."

I was about to ask her what she meant when Bella stepped around me to unlock her door. She then pivoted to face me as the door swung open behind her.

"I am normally the type of girl who may give my date a chaste kiss on my doorstep," Bella said, licking her lips as she took a step back inside. "But I'd never let a man inside after a first date."

I stood frozen in the hallway, staring inside the entry to Bella's apartment. She flipped on the light and backed further in, her eyes locked on mine, daring me to come over the threshold.

I took a deep breath, raised one foot and cautiously stepped inside. Bella took another step backward, but gave the slightest nod of encouragement.

"I'm normally the type of guy who will go home after a date and spend the next three days wondering, berating myself for not having the courage to try and kiss that woman I was dying to kiss," I said. While this was true, there hadn't been a woman I was dying to kiss in a long time. And none that I could remember wanting as much as Bella.

"Three days is a long time," Bella noted, arching an eyebrow.

"Actually," I confessed, "that was probably under-estimating."

She looked about ready to make another teasing comment, but I didn't let her get the words out. Instead, I closed the distance between us and pulled her against me with my left arm, while cupping her chin with my right hand. I hesitated for the smallest fraction of a second, giving her a chance to tell me to stop before I brought my mouth down to meet hers.

My lips molded around Bella's and I could feel her heart racing against mine as I pressed her closer to me. She opened her mouth a fraction, and I teased the soft underside of her top lip with my tongue, not trying to go any further, but gently teasing in my exploration.

I could feel her hands clench against my back and a small moan escaped from the back of her throat.

I pulled away to stare into her chocolate eyes again.

"I'm not the kind of guy who would tell a woman that the sound of her moan went straight to my cock," I whispered.

The corners of Bella's mouth twitched. "You're the kind of guy that wouldn't HAVE to tell a woman when something she did went to your cock," she teased as she thrust her hips against my straining erection.

I groaned at the friction.

"I am the type of guy who meant it when he said that the teddy you wore looked like it was made just for you," I said, placing my hand on her ass, enjoying the roundness even through her coat. "And that I couldn't imagine another woman on the planet would looking as beautiful as you. It made me furious to hear you say that you didn't think those things were for you."

"I never felt like they were," Bella admitted, biting her lip before adding. "Before today."

"Well, that's one change I hope is permanent," I said, cupping her chin and swiping her lip with my thumb to release it from her teeth. "Even if I never have the courage again to tell you how fucking sexy you are, you should feel it and believe it yourself."

Bella closed her eyes at these words. "I might need reminding," she whispered. "Are you the type of guy who would be willing to tell me over and over again?"

I nodded, "You better believe I am," I said.

"Well," Bella smirked. "In that case, maybe you should come inside and stay awhile."

I laughed, struck by the ridiculousness of our talking this much without getting past Bella's hall or taking off our coats.

Bella unbuttoned her jacket and slid it off her shoulders. I was reminded of the moment when she revealed the infamous blue teddy in my office.

"You are an incredibly beautiful woman," I said. "But it wasn't your body or even your face that I was thinking of when you said you didn't want to see me again."

"No?" Bella asked, her eyebrow rising. I took the coat from her and slung it across the back of a chair in the living room before removing my own jacket and placing it on top of hers.

I turned back to her shaking my head. "No," I said. "I was thinking about your voice when you were talking to your friend about me on the phone, and again when you were reading that catalog piece you wrote. I was thinking about you saying you could stand a little taller and see the beauty in your own reflection. And, I wanted to be the man who made you feel that way."

Bella smiled. "It's not enough that you convinced me to walk around in my underwear?" She took a step toward me.

"No," I nodded, moving closer to her and holding her gaze. "I wanted you to realize how beautiful you were walking around in your underwear, and I wanted you to want me to see you in your underwear."

"I do," she whispered. We were now standing so close that I could feel her breath on my face, but I didn't dare reach out for her, yet.

"You realize now how beautiful you are?" I smirked, cocking an eyebrow.

Bella bit her lip and cast her eyes downward. "That's not what I meant," she said.

"Then what?" I scowled. I thought I had been following our conversation, but maybe I was messing up again.

I reached up to tug at my hair. Bella caught my hand in hers and guided it away from my head and toward her. I relaxed my fingers in her grip, ready to caress her shoulder, but Bella nodded and twisted her arm to guide both our hands to the zipper in the back of her dress.

"I'm not the type of girl that a man would undress in the middle of her living room," Bella said, the challenge clear in her voice and her gaze.

My thumb and forefinger found the clasp and Bella took her hand away. "You'll tell me when you want to stop acting like you normally never would?" I said in a clear voice as I began to pull the zipper down her back, my knuckles grazing the bare skin I was exposing to the air of Bella's apartment.

"Please don't stop," she whispered.

I followed her command, completing the journey to open the back of her dress. I then brought both hands to her shoulders to push the black dress off down. Our eyes remained locked as I caressed her arms and encouraged the fabric to slide to the floor.

It was only when Bella reached toward me and began unbuttoning my shirt that I allowed myself to look down and take in the vision before me. My pulse quickened as I traced the details of black lace that highlighted the natural line of her curves. As I had expected, the dark details and purple silk were lovely against her pale skin.

She mimicked the gesture I had just made, pushing my dress shirt off my shoulders and onto the floor. Her eyes remained locked on mine as she undid my belt. The muscles in my stomach contracted to feel her fingers reach into my waistband and unzip my pants, which were also soon on the floor.

We stood there, now both in nothing but our underwear. Bella's chest was flushed a light pink. I touched the top of her breasts lightly with one finger, following the color as it spread and just grazing the line of her cleavage.

I felt like I could spend the rest of my life exploring every line of her body like that, with just the tip of my finger, and it would be better than anything I had ever experienced with another woman. But, I could tell from the increased rate of her breaths and the darkness of her eyes that Bella wanted more.

I brought my hands back to her face, cradling it as I tilted my head to fit in the crick of her neck. I brushed a long strand of her dark hair away and pressed my lips to the place just behind her left ear. I then made a trail of kisses to the corner of her mouth before capturing her lips forcefully.

Bella opened her mouth slightly allowing me the access I craved. The moment our tongues touched, I lost my resolve to move slowly and my arms wrapped around her, my hands cupping her ass and pulling her against me.

Bella matched my eagerness, her hands reached inside my boxers. I hissed as I felt her fingers wrap around my hard shaft.

"Where's your bedroom?" I growled, as I lifted her up and Bella's legs wrapped around my waist.

"Down…..the…hall…on…the…right," Bella answered around my kisses.

I squinted into her mostly still dark apartment and thought I could make out where the hall entrance would be. I almost made it a full four steps, but then my foot caught on the corner of Bella's couch and I started to lurch forward.

Bella's eyes went wide as she tilted in my arms, and I jerked to keep us both upright. I just managed to not drop her or fall backward myself.

"Maybe I could walk," Bella gasped, with a giggle.

I reluctantly set her on her feet. "I guess I can't stop being awkward," I admitted sheepishly. "That's definitely Edward Cullen."

Bella gave me a glowing smile, and took my hand before turning down the hall. She snapped on a small lamp just inside the door and turned back to me. "Maybe we shouldn't try this in the dark. It could be dangerous given our combined clumsiness," she said.

I wanted to laugh, but I was too breathless from the beauty standing beside the bed and the thought of what we were about to do. A small voice inside my head kept repeating "This is Edward Cullen, about to make love to Bella Swan."

Then voice reminded me of something very important.

"Oh no," I said, slapping the front of my head with the back of my palm.

"What is it?" Bella asked. I met her gaze and notice her face was so scrunched with worry that a small line had formed between her eyebrows.

"Bella," I groaned. "I really wasn't thinking we'd end up like this. I mean, I'm not prepared. I don't have…" I gulped, unable to finish.

Bella's expression relaxed, before pulling into a grin. "Mr. Cullen," she said, "Are you trying to tell me that you don't have a condom? Because if that's the only thing that's bothering you I don't think there's any problem."

She turned around and reached down to open a drawer in her nightstand. I glanced furtively before looking away, not wanting to invade her privacy. But, the thought that Bella kept condoms in her nightstand definitely piqued my curiosity as to what else might be in there.

The sight of her lace covered ass stuck up in the air incredibly got me even more excited. The fabric stretched across her perfect round cheeks, the bedside lamp giving them an enticing sheen. It would almost be a shame to take those beautiful panties off, but not quite.

"It may not be like me to bring a man back to my apartment after a first date, but I do like to plan way ahead," Bella explained, holding a square of foil in between her fingers.

I took it from her, but placed the condom on back on top of the nightstand. Though my cock was straining against my boxers, I wasn't quite ready for it. "In that case," I said, "let's proceed, but there's plenty I want to do to you before we're going to need that."

Bella's breath hitched as I gently pushed her down onto the bed. She quickly swung her feet around to position herself more comfortably and looked up at me, still standing beside the nightstand with invitation in her eyes. I let my gaze take in her full form, wishing I could memorize ever detail from her delicately pink toes to the softly flowing waves of ebony hair that framed her eager face.

She really was perfect. I was sure there wasn't another woman in the world who would look as gorgeous in the pieces she was wearing.

"As much as I love seeing you in this beautiful lingerie," I said, "I'm ready to see you out of it."

"And I'm ready to see you out of those boxers," Bella replied, her gaze traveling down my bare chest and focusing on the outline of my cock, that was straining against the fabric still covering me.

"You first," I growled, crawling into the bed. I hovered over her, lost in her lustful gaze before I hooked my thumbs into her panties and then began tugging them down her legs. Tossing them aside, I crouched at the foot of the bed, taking in the view once again.

"Edward," Bella purred, glancing meaningful at my own underwear. I smirked and tugged those off, kicking them away before coming back to kiss Bella, holding her now almost entirely naked body next to me.

Her leg hitched over my hip and our mouths met. My left hand traveled up and down her thigh while my right kneaded one of her breasts through the bra.

My cock pressed against both our stomachs, and Bella reached to stroke me. The friction made a growl form in the back of my throat. I broke our kiss to stare at Bella, then reached behind to unclasp her bra and tugged it away, revealing her perfectly shaped milky white breasts.

Unable to resist, I brought my mouth to her chest and began covering her gorgeous tits with kisses, swiping my tongue across her hardened nipples, feeling them react to the heat of my mouth and the coolness of the air of the room.

She arched beneath me, pressing further into me, and I took advantage to cup her ass in my hand. Bella was rocking her hips, silently begging me to give her more while her breaths came out in shaky pants.

I pulled back from her chest and Bella moaned from the loss of contact.

"Patience, my love," I whispered as let my hand travel from her butt to the place between her thighs.

I had to take a steadying breath as my fingers first came into contact with the soft curls between her legs. I cupped her and was rewarded with the feeling of warm moisture between her folds.

"Oh, baby," I groaned. "So wet for me Bella. You know, I'm not the type of guy to tell a woman how fucking hard it makes me to taste between her thighs. But, I hope you're the type of girl to let me taste you."

Bella's voice was so breathy I may not have recognized the words if I didn't see the answer in her eyes. "Yes, Edward, yes, please," she panted.

My heart was pounding, hardly believing that this was happening. If this did turn out to be some kind of psychotic episode and I was lying in a hospital bed from the stroke I had suffered at the sight of Bella in a teddy, I just hoped no one would revive me for a long time.

My fingers explored her slit, and Bella groaned above me. Spurred on by the sound, I placed a small kiss on her clit and Bella gasped as I slid a finger inside her. Her leg bent and she arched up from the bed, as my tongue moved over her folds and her moans grew in volume. She tasted amazing – the perfect combination of sweet and salty naturalness.

I tried to go slow, to draw out the experience for both of us, but Bella's cries and my lust, having built up over the course of this amazing day made me lap at her with unrestrained hunger. I could feel her walls fluttering around my fingers.

"Edward, Edward," she moaned. "Please, I want you to be inside me, so close."

I pulled back and reached for the condom. In the moments I was no longer over her, Bella flipped on her side and put one hand on my chest, pushing me to lie on my back.

"I'm not the normally type of woman to take control, but I want to ride you tonight, Edward," she said, her eyes burning with desire.

My lust had completely taken over my brain, so all I could do was nod and watch as Bella sat up on her knees over my thighs. I was expecting her to either hand me the condom or put it on me, but she took me by surprise, placing a gentle kiss on my leaking tip and then taking my length in between her lips.

I hissed as the heat of mouth engulfed me, then groaned as I felt her hollow out her cheeks and flick her tongue to tease the most sensitive place under the tip of my cock while sliding her head back and forth.

"Wait, Bella," I pleaded, using all my self-restraint to push her off. "As amazing as that feels, I don't want to lose control before I get inside you."

Bella nodded and furtively wiped her lip before tearing open the packed she still had in her hand. She slid the condom down my straining cock, grasping it in her hand and stroking me a few times.

We stared at each other for a few seconds before Bella lowered herself onto me. I swallowed, my eyes closed at the feeling of her heat around me.

"So good," I whispered. "So tight, Bella."

"So full," she responded. "Show me how to make you feel good, Edward" she encouraged as she guided my hands to the side of her hips and began to rock above me.

"Yes," I hissed. "Like that Bella, nice and slow." She moved around me and I watched her every arch and undulation. I reached between us to massage her clit, glancing down at the place where we met. I almost lost control at the sight.

Bella seemed to respond unconsciously, speeding up her thrusts. Unable to resist, I pulled her down onto me, holding her against my chest as I rolled us over.

Her legs wrapped around me and we continued to move together, both becoming frantic as the pressure built.

"Bella," I groaned. "I'm not the type of guy that orders a woman around, but I want you to come for me, angel."

I could feel her respond before I was even finished the sentence. Bella's eyes became unfocused, her mouth fell open and her walls clenched around me.

"Edward!" she called, and the sound pushed me over the edge. The explosion affected my entire body. My hands went numb and shivers ran up and down my spine as I came and collapsed onto Bella.

Both of us gasped as we lay tangled together, my face had landed in my favorite place in the crook of her neck, where her soft brown hair tickled my nose. Bella's hands were moving over my shoulder blades. I didn't want to be too heavy for her, but I wasn't quite ready to lose the connection between us, as I was still slightly hard inside her.

I turned my head to see Bella's face turned toward me. We kissed again, this time even slow and sweet, without the slightest hint of goodbye.

Bella pulled away, and I frowned before seeing her happy and teasing expression.

"Are you the type of guy who leaves right after sex, or do you like to spend the night?" Bella asked, the familiar shyness returning into her tone.

I chuckled and ruffled her hair. "I'm the type of guy who wants to cuddle all night, and I think it's about time to start being ourselves."

**_A/N – That's all for these two. I know there are probably some loose threads about the job and how they're going to manage their new-found other-selves, but let's just say they got their HEA. Hope you enjoyed. _**


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